25 Reported Wrong Way Vehicles In One Month Has OPP Concerned

A rash of incidents involving a vehicle travelling the wrong way on a highway or road has the OPP raising awareness about what drivers should do when encountering a vehicle travelling the wrong way towards oncoming traffic.

Between October 5 and November 5, 2018 the OPP responded to 25 reports of a vehicle travelling the wrong way. A collision occurred in five of the incidents and two people lost their lives in two of the crashes. Twelve charges have been laid so far in five of the incidents, two of which are driving while ability impaired by alcohol and/or drugs.

There were 182 wrong-way vehicle incidents on OPP-patrolled roads last year (2017) and 207 so far this year (2018).

When drivers encounter a vehicle travelling the wrong way towards oncoming traffic, they should immediately and safely pull over to the side of the road, call 9-1-1 and provide their location, a description of the vehicle and the licence plate number if possible.

The OPP is reminding drivers to pay full attention to the road and observe all directional signage, especially when driving on busy, multi-lane highways.